If the Govt was more stringent in it's monitoring of the various GLCs, losses for example in the case of Sime Darby, these are the billions that the Govt could have saved and re-invested for returns, maintaining some of the essential subsidies.

The BN Govt is losing it.

Datuk Rocky's post stated that there is "still too many in the lower income group..Forty percent of wage earners in the urban areas are in this category" and BigDog queries subsidies of a different kind, a few days short of a year ago.

BN can forget about the residual support it has in the urban and suburban areas.

While trying to preserve it's rural Malay support, it now goes about detaching itself from the very same who would be most effected by the removal of these subsidies, sugar, now petrol and maybe diesel.

It is not so much the price increase per se but the domino effect on prices of products and services.

Price, this is the only thing that goes up, at every fuel price increase, and never come down. Worst still, prices which do not commensurate relatively to these increases.

I would not be wrong to say that there are unscrupulous people in business who look forward for these increases. It gives them an opportunity to better their profits.

How is the Govt so sure that these cuts in subsidies will not impact the rural folks?

And even if they did not, remember that the rural populace have urbanite children, relatives and friends who would not take these measures too kindly.

Our good friend Datuk Seri Anwar and his comrades in arms will no doubt exploit the issue. It's expected and easy for them to make highfalutin promises, mere cheap bait.

In this respect, the Govt is forgetting that the new electronic media and social communication, the forte of the rabid opposition shrewdly exploiting any weakness and seemingly missteps on the part of the Govt, will de ja vu them this time into oblivion.

In the short term and planning for a long term solution, the Govt should encourage energy saving measures, reducing private transport, car pooling and the use of public transport. It makes economic sense for both the public as well as reducing the cost of Govt petrol subsidy.

The Govt is subsidising our petrol needs but it relies heavily on Petronas and because of the extensive use of private transport, Malaysia is diminishing as a net exporter due to rising fuel imports, increasing the cost for subsidy.

Business and public transport rely heavily on diesel which brings to one solution, BIO-FUEL not to mention it being environment friendly. Commercial biofuel diesel is already being manufactured from oil palm.

"The rosier outlook lies in its future utilization as feedstock for second generation biofuel, where the entire waste biomass can be harnessed in the production of renewable energy, cellulosic ethanol, biogas, biohydrogen and bioplastic.

"This energy is not only cheaper but also more efficient and environment-friendly than fossil fuels. The carbon credits derived under the CDM Kyoto Protocol increase the economic viability of palm diesel as a renewable fuel.

"In Malaysia, biodiesel is an emerging industry, encouraged under the new five-fuel diversification policy, with deliberate inclusion of renewable energy as the fifth fuel"

"For the first time, air transport has the possibility of an alternative to traditional jet fuel," IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani

Is the Govt afraid that an aggressive R&D to develop a highly viable alternative fuel affect Petronas' bottom line? Fret not. While the Govt is subsidising the rakyat, the US Govt is doing the reverse.

What it means is that the US Petroleum industry is a very profitable and powerful one. It would not let any alternative energy replace the lucrative black gold anytime soon.

The country can have the best of both worlds, a highly profitable but less relied upon energy giant, Petronas and a having an alternative fuel perpetually for it's local needs.

Datuk Seri Najib is working tirelessly, getting foreign investments for the country as Tun MM did, and he has my admiration.

Will all his efforts come to nought if there are those who advise him economically have a hidden agenda politically?

Pak Lah's administration and decisions had benefitted the opposition more than anything else and he got kicked out.

One of those decisions was a very unpopular hike in petrol prices.

Are those who advised Pak Lah the same usual suspects advising Datuk Seri Najib?

Monday, May 23, 2011

Reading Tony Yew's post, I want to be more specific because I am asking these same questions to those of my Catholic Church.

I received a text message from my daughter during her Catechism class yesterday and I initially wanted this post, regarding that text message, to be much more critical than it is.

It turned out her Catechism class was a talk on another religion. I won't elaborate.

After her class, she relayed to me some of the issues and experiences as intimated by the attending speakers.

I explained to her the need to be faithful to one's religion and no matter what happens, that faith will always be the foundation and guide to her future undertaking and decisions in life.

That we should have to learn more and have a better understanding of religions other than ours. Before we talk of religion other than ours.

That she should not be insecure about her religion.

I have baptised ALL my children. Would I have done so if I had no faith in my religion? And I said this to her.

I even told her that maybe it was unfair because she was not given a choice. But because I have a strong faith, she will find that strength as well.

How our Church go about providing this strength of faith to grow, in the face of adversities, is extremely important in the context of a multi-cultural and multi-religious country.

Instead of fear of God, we are preaching fear of Man.

When my and your children come of age, they ultimately will decide whether a religion is right for them.

It is sometimes inevitable as many of us have experienced, love of man more than god, have decided their faith.

Right or wrong, no one on this earth can or should say.

At the end of the day and our time, our kingdom is not of this earth.

When your friends within the Church have hang-ups about their own and other religions, it gives an open invitation to opportunistic parasites, to exploit any issue for their own agenda.

There are religious bigots in our midst. These are those who are so insecure in our faith, our religion.

Or they are just plain religious bigots.

Our church has many hypocrites. I too at times have been hypocritical but I try and I address my shortcomings.

I should not be calling others hypocrites.

But what to do, I see it week in and week out.

So as Tony is asking "which Malaysian are you?", I will be more direct and ask my fellow Catholics these questions.

Which Catholic Are You?

Do you go to Church for spiritual guidance or political guidance? I get sick and tired of political innuendos in Church.

Are you so weak in your religion that you fear another impinging yours? Or are you just a plain religious bigot?

Will impediments to our religion make us stronger or weaker? I was taught and believe that religious persecution made my Church stronger.

Is that why we are adopting the way and manner we approach issues? Because we are weak in our faith, rather than being hindered for our beliefs. That our weakness has allowed our religion to be made use of by others.

Especially others of the parasitic political kind.

As Christ's greatest commandment, do you love others as you love yourself?

Coming back to my daughter's Catchism class, I won't specifically say who uttered what but I will ask you as Tony asked,

"Are you the type that would tell your children that they should not befriend their classmate because of their different belief?"

What this tOon was trying to articulate by that headline was a need to free the press, mainstream at least, from the "shackles" of oppressive laws.

Very noble of him to put into print, as all publishing professionals would have their druthers the industry to be, "an unbridled press" free from regulation.

"You have an unbridled press there – one so fiercely independent that it’s even brought down a president (Richard Nixon, who was forced to resign) and led to one being impeached (Bill Clinton, by the House of Representatives though not the Senate)."

Well said. Does Datuk Seri Anwar deserve any less?

"If the argument is that a free press will lead to bloody racial riots, one only has to look at the US – a melting pot of different ethnic groups and creeds – to see that there is no basis for that justification."

"We don't need to spike the football. And I think that, given the graphic nature of these photos, it would create some national security risk," the president said, according to Carney's account.

But the USeless Govt begs to differ Mr Oon's pronouncement here.

"The White House had been weighing the release of a photo, in part to offer proof that bin Laden was killed during a raid on his compound early Monday. However, officials had cautioned that the photo was gruesome and could prove inflammatory."

What an opportunity it was for him to pick an ideal example, that Utusan front paged news item 'Malaysia negara Kristian?', to underscore his latest, Yes Master piece.

By the way, the opening lines of that front page report is a rebuttal of his friend, WhyBe Ooi having sponsored the gathering.

Reading the report over and over again I don't see how that report could be "construed as inflammatory". The Utusan had merely reported the allegation of two bloggers.

For Mr Oon's information, it did not incite the Malays because while the allegation maybe hard to believe, to many of them it would come as no surprise as it would not be beyond the DAP, given their penchant to exploit the Christian Community.

The fact that the report was made front page could be because the Utusan, which did go to substantiate the bloggers' allegation, found the explanation by WhyBe Ooi to be suspiciously evasive.

"3 Hot Days in Penang" is neither the name of an exotic holiday packaged tour nor a porno movie. Rather, it's the working title of a multimedia project that Zan Azlee and I will be creating about the last three days, in Penang, leading into the 2008 General Elections. When completed, there will be video, audio, stills and text components. For now, we'll present you some still images from the first day.

Most recently in this 21st century, the marriage of Prince William and model Kate Middleton, has hogged the celebrity limelight and generated the same worldwide attention his late mother, Princess Diana received in the previous.

In Malaysia, we too have a funky family though not of the royal kind but kind of political, that of Datuk Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim.

Like the British Royals, Datuk Seri Anwar is widely recognised locally and internationally and like the British Royal family, his family has similarly been dragged into sex scandals.

By an extensive PR exercises, he is being promoted to be not unlike Bian Baru in Sarawak, PM designate of all Malaysia as declared by coalition partner and super supremacist strategist, the Chinese based DAP.

Despite his fortunes turning backwards by a second sodomy trial, Datuk Seri Anwar's PR is unwavering, ably assisted by the suffering, fateful and faithful wife, former Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Wan Azizah.

Datuk Seri Wan Azizah has stood by her husband through thin and thick.

She relinquished the Permatang Pauh seat she held for her husband, who won handsomely in the ensuing by-election, becoming the biggest Member in Parliament for the opposition.

The faithful wife, who is the President of the justice party PKR or Party Keadilan Rakyat and which Datuk Seri Anwar is the defacto leader, is now rocked by another sex scandal. How long she remains suffering time will tell.

The up and coming heir apparent of the justice party, is none other than the daughter of the President of the PKR and of the defacto leader, Nurul Izzah, a Member of Parliament and Vice-President of the family club same party.

There is no shortage of intrigue and controversies in the succession line to the PKR leadership but Nurul Izzah finds herself neatly behind the best friend and close confidant of the defacto leader, Deputy President of the party, Azmin Ali.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Blogger was down too long for my liking the last couple of days so I hurriedly imported all my posts to Wordpress. This was my first Wordpress post. I am including my crux of that post.

The headline does not have any nexus to the body of that editorial, hence downright amateurish and yesterday being the anniversary of that fateful day in our history, a spinful thing to do.

Hahahahahaha. This is the type of editorial column, "Say no to rough Malaysian politics", you would expect from a primary school annual magazine. Read and have a jolly good laugh.

"On Tuesday, the PKR de facto leader’s driver lodged a police report on an alleged murder attempt on his boss after discovering that the brakes of the Mercedes Benz he was driving had been tampered with last month.

Do we need to wait to read Anwar is injured or dies in an accident." the Malaysian Instigator.

How to take serious.

Want to suggest UMNO "plays rough" but cites murder, the best they can do is Mona Pandi, oops Fendey.

"There are too many other reasons to rebutt the argument put forward by En Syahrezan this morning."

Yang dia tu bahlul cakap la bahlul.

These are the decrepits who in an effort to show some semblence of credibility, in the end lose it all by revealing their true colours, subtle hatred.

"And I think having a non-Muslim and non-Malay PM who upholds the Constitution is better than a Malay Muslim PM who puts himself above the law Or someone who amends it as he pleases as seen during the Mahathir administration."

The type of decrepits, The Malaysian Instigator, are most happy to oblige.

Cry or laugh? I think puke is the word I like to use. These are the smart ass Loyarburoks, Syahredzan Johan, the Bar Council's constitutional law committee chief, no less.

The Malaysian Instigator has outdone itself in this report titled, "Malaysia has no official religion, says constitutional expert."

"In terms of the Federal Constitution there's only one religion for the federation, no official or unofficial. The Constitution is clear on this. Islam is not the official religion" he said to The Malaysian Instigator when contacted yesterday.

You see the Federal constitution is NOT OFFICIAL. The word "OFFICIAL" must be specifically be included in all the Articles for it to be OFFICIAL.

Supreme Law of the Federation'4.(1) This Constitution is the supreme law of the Federation andany law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.' No official.

Religion of the Federation'Article 3. (1) Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religionsmay be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation.' See also no official.

Wah that means there is also no official National Language. Yea Yea Yea for the vernacular schools. The Chinese educationists are strongly recommended to hire this Loyarburok to fight for their rights. Sure win one. From Bar Council.

National Language'Article 152. (1) The national language shall be the Malay language and shall be in such script as Parliament may by law provide' Not official also.

The Bar Council must have been drunk to appoint an idiot like this to the committee.

Fellow PR associate and PKR Seri Setia State Assemblyman, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, has a an article titled "Lee Kuan Yew’s Racism" and linked the article attributed to the Jelutong MP. I have copied the same link here but it will lead you nowhere.

"Jeff Ooi publishes a thorough analysis on Lee Kuan Yew’s racism written by an Australian academic here."

The PDF link that YB Mr Ooi is said to have been published and linked by Nik Nazmi is here.

After unravelling (I am not IT savvy, OK!) how to access Screenshots, the official website of Jelutong (ex-Lion territory) MP Jeff Ooi, it came as a surprise to me that he's a Tun Mahathir admirer! At least as his many posts suggest, circa 2007 and before.

"Happiness is... Dr M is out of ICU!"

Posted by Jeff Ooi on October 9, 2007 06:19 AM Does Unker Lim and Son know about this?

Thursday, May 5, 2011

In my remonstrations against The Malaysian Insider @ The Malaysian Instigator, like Rodin, it bewildered me how this portal could continue to disseminate unfettered news and columns that bordered on or could considered to be seditious or libelous.

TMI cannot deny that while it publishes comments pro-establishment, their anti-establishment and pro-opposition stance and inclination to the point of slanting and misdirected reports/columns to satisfy their rabid mouth frothing opposition readers, it's impartiality and credibility is questionable.

In his post, blogger BigDog had called for another opposition infested portal, Malaysiakini, to be investigated for possible sedition.

Similarly, TMI's extreme opposition proclivities prompted me to to point out the seditious nature of one of it's columns, an offence punishable under the same Sedition Act 1948 cited by BigDog.

I even highlighted a similar attack on the PDRM in the context of that column having a seditious tendency as described by the Act,

"Today we are still saddled with a questionable police force.."

Coming back to my bewilderment, while I can understand the powers that be are tolerant to these blatant transgressions due to the Govt's commitment to a free internet environment as per the Bill of Guarantee No. 7: To ensure no censorship of the Internet, this article in the TMI must not go unpunished.

This notorious author of that article now throws unsubstantiated allegations against UMNO, MCA and MIC politicians and clearly libels at least one personality.

"an Umno supreme council member who had sex with an underage girl. He was not jailed or charged and is free as a bird."

It is apparent and obvious to whom the author is referring to and I append below the relevant portion of the DAP Statement proving the author's accusation to be malicious and false and to bring it to the attention of the The Malaysian Insider that they are equally liable should the alluded personality see it fit to seek recourse.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

While looking for the author of a book on a definitive perspective of the September 11 event I had previously bought, which I found was Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed and hope him to be the correct one, blog he follows led me to some Mindblogging Stuff.

To make a long story short, this particular post in that blog about a spoilt brat daughterof an MP and her response to a blogger, made me all the more convinced that this is indeed a country I rightly cherish and my Govt genuinely cares for the Rakyat.

I can’t help but feel I have been misunderstood to a certain extent about my article, “Future of Singapore”. I would thus like to set the record straight.

I mentioned how far our neighbours have come over the past decade. And the competency level of their skilled labour forces are by no means less than ours. They are less expensive too. This resulted in much heated debate on the influx of foreign talents. Honestly, in a cosmopolitan city like Singapore, it is inevitable foreign talents exist. It is NO fault of the government, rather, market forces dictate. What I was trying to imply was whatever Singapore can offer in terms of human resource capability, our neighbours can too. On top of that, they have cost & land advantages. In view of these pulling factors, multinational firms are very much tempted to relocate to reduce operational costs; if Singapore continues to be “too expensive”. Where we used to think the problem of unemployment was on the unskilled. Now the threat of unemployment applies also to our skilled labour force. Jobs lost may never be replaced again.

Those who bear the brunt of the threat are sadly in their 40s & above. I must hasten to add that education, skills upgrading & experience are key to competition in this knowledge economy. Supposedly, these are the people who have the education, the right training & carry with them loads of experience. However, a cloud of PREJUDICE hovers over them because of their AGE. While some may get re-employed in no time due to certain circumstances, the majority may take ages. Not only do they have to deal with the emotional trauma of being unemployed, they also have to cope with the burden & stress of living costs. What can be done then to help these people? Again, I am NOT advocating a welfare state.

While I jolly well understand the virtue of teaching a man how to fish, the issue is not about giving handouts. It is about coming up with measures to cushion the impact of income loss of this group while they are actively seeking employment during their unemployment period. I thought deep & hard. I would like to share my suggestion.

The government may consider allowing them to tap into their CPF with “terms & conditions apply” of course. Firstly, when one has lost his job, he must register himself with the WDA. This will allow the WDA to do a job match while he is also actively seeking employment at the same time. In the first 6 months of his unemployment, he cannot withdraw from his CPF. After 6 months & still unsuccessful in the job market, he may draw up to 50% of his last drawn pay from his CPF or a stipulated cap amount. Firstly, this is not a freebie as CPF money belongs to each individual & more importantly, the money will certainly come in handy to meet monthly living expenses. Imagine how relieved these people & their families will be after draining six months of their savings to meet costs of living. Once WDA has successfully done a job match or when one has finally found a job, he will not be allowed to withdraw from the CPF anymore. Individuals who reject match by WDA will also not be allowed to continue withdrawing from his CPF. In fact, the government may stipulate a re-payment scheme for those who have withdrawn from their CPF during their unemployment. Re-payment commences once an individual starts to contribute to his CPF again.

Some may argue about abuse of the system. There will be those who choose not to work & living comfortably off their withdrawal. However, this will not be possible. They have to register with the WDA & withdrawal will cease to be allowed once WDA has done a job match.

On the issue of job matching, WDA should take into consideration one’s experience, education & expertise. There have been cases of skilled professionals rejecting job offers as cleaners. They were labelled as choosy. But to expect one who had invested in education & filled with experience to perform such jobs is not job matching. It’s simply filling in vacancies for the sake of filling in vacancies. Job motivation is important.

I would like to reiterate the root of the problem is really age discrimination. While I really wish age discrimination may be a thing of the past, until then it can only be wishful thinking. We can’t pass legislation. It’s not something the Government would consider wise to do. I don’t second that either. On the flip side of the coin, a Safety Net in place would mean a lot to these unfortunate ones to keep up with living whilst genuinely looking for work to bring the bread home.

Updated 5 May 2011

This was the article corresponding to the blast from the brat that is the main gist of my post.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Future of Singapore

When I read the Straits Times article (dated 24 Sep) on PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference to Singapore, I have so much thought about the issue.

I am 35 years old, graduated from University and gainfully employed in a multinational company. But I cannot help but feel insecure over the future of Singapore. Lets face it, it’s not uncommon to hear, “when you are above 40, you are over the hill”. The government has been stressing on re-training, skills upgrading and re-adapt. The fact is, no matter how well qualified or adaptable one is, once you hit the magical 40, employers will say, “you are simply too old”.

We have been focusing our resources and problem solving on low unskilled labour. But in reality, our managerial positions and skilled labour force are actually fast losing its competitiveness. I travel around the region frequently for the past 10 years. It didn’t take me long to realise how far our neighbours have come over the past decade. They have quality skilled workers, and are less expensive. When I work with them, their analytical skills are equally good, if not better than us.

It’s not new anymore. Taxi drivers are fast becoming “too early to retire, too old to work” segment of the society. I like to talk to taxi drivers whenever I am heading for the airport. There was this driver. Eloquent and well read. He was an export manager for 12 years with an MNC. Retrenched at 40 years old. He had been searching for a job since his retrenchment. Although he was willing to lower his pay expectations, employers were not willing to lower their prejudice. He was deem too old. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have another No. 1; having the most highly educated taxi drivers in the world.

On PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference. Look around us. How dedicated can we be to Singapore when we can visualise what’s in store for us after we turned 40? Then again, how committed are employers to us? But we can’t blame them. They have bottom lines & shareholders’ gain to answer to. Onus is really on the government to revamp the society. A society that is not a pressure cooker. A society that does not mirror so perfectly, what survival of the fittest is. But a society, where it’s people can be committed, do their best and not having to fear whether they will still wake up employed tomorrow. Sadly, Singapore does not offer such luxuries and security anymore.

On the issue of babies. The government encourage us to pro-create. The next generation is essential in sustaining our competitive edge. Then again, the current market condition is such that our future has become uncertain. There is no more joy in having babies anymore; they have become more of a liability. It’s really a chicken and egg issue.

Many of my peers, bright and well educated have packed up and left. It’s what MM Goh called “quitters”. It’s sad but true, Singapore no longer is a place where one can hope to work hard their lives and retire graciously. It’s really the push factor. A future is something we sweat it out, build and call our own. Unfortunately, people like me, mid 30’s going on 40’s, staying put by choice or otherwise, we can’t help but feel what lies ahead is really a gamble.

To PM Lee and the Ministers, we are on a different platform. Until you truly understand our insecurity, the future of Singapore to me remains a question mark.

While the DAP will be ecstatic for a PAP resounding return to Govt, signalling Singaporeans' endorsement of the PAP Govt policies on migrant labour policies favouring the PRC, will it also mean an affirmation of the PAP as being multi-racial?

"Multiracial: A Singaporean Singapore that belongs equally to all citizens, where every individual, regardless of race, language, and religion is assured of justice and fairness"

And by extension, the DAP having similar ideal a Malaysian Malaysia, would be no less proud like their former parent to spread the good word, being multi-racial as well.

How will the Malaysian electorate view this scenario seeing the many charges that the DAP is a chauvinistic party?

If the Singapore opposition achieves a Malaysian like tsunami of 2008, it would mean that a large section of Singaporeans supporting the opposition would then attest their charge that the PAP Govt indeed practises a racist policy favouring the PRC in the immigration labour policy, that would also be of political benefit for the PAP in future years to come.

Affirmative actions for a future majority in Singapore.

And guilty by association of that similar Malaysian Malaysia political objective of the PAP, would assert the charges of being racist presently levelled against the DAP.

How will the Malaysian electorate view this scenario because urban voters are more informed and discerning than the "naive" rural voters, as in the recent Sarawak State Election, the opposition DAP and Lim Kit Siang***** stop short and are hard pressed to explicitly declare?

We were like a bad bar joke: two Bidayuhs, a Lun Bawang, an Iban, and two Malays walk into a DAP ceramah in Kuching. The crowd is mostly Chinese, and the speeches so far are all in Mandarin.

“I don’t understand what they are saying,” I complain to my fellow Bidayuh.

“Neither do we, and that is why we drink,” he replies, handing me a can of beer.

The next day is Election Day for Sarawak, and we, the motley crew representing the urban non-Chinese, cast our votes for DAP.

Times have changed for urban Sarawakians who all this while have embraced DAP as a home-grown party despite it having its origins in West Malaysia. We have seen the party struggle to grab a foothold in the state political arena for many decades.

It may be a Chinese-based party but for many of us urban voters, it represents the best possible choice for change of a state governance that we have grown weary of.

"What we have to acknowledge and try to understand is that for the most part, the rural population still identify and support BN as the only genuine state government. Dismissing the voting results from the rural areas to the corruption process is simplistic and lazy because it absolves do-gooders from having to go on the ground, and try to understand why the rural peoples feel beholden to BN. We need to go beyond tweeting/facebooking/blogging about our outrage of the state election results."

Will the outcome of the Singapore GE therefore figure in Datuk Seri Najib's consideration to call for an early or later Malaysian election?

*****That this 5 star link should be graciously referenced in full by Saudara Lim Kit Siang shows him to be of the same intellectual level of the author, clever but trying hard to be stupid. A columnist for the Malaysian Instigator.

MyKad

Love my country with its pimples, warts and all - a paradise on earth. Born in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor. Blog, Title and Description was created a flip-flop moment in time and what others following will aspire the country to be, that which was achieved by the Special One.

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